Mountain countries urge action to save ecosystem

Representatives from as many as 30 countries including the U.S., France, Germany and Bhutan met in Nepal for a conference on the impact of climate change on mountain communities.

SOUNDBITE: Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav saying:

We all know that mountains all around the world are facing disproportionate impact of climate change combined with the forces of globalization, continuing environmental degradation and also socio-economic development, climate change is making lives in the mountains in developing countries more difficult,"

Global warming, which is hitting Nepal particularly hard, is causing glaciers to melt at a faster pace than usual and already caused deadly flooding in the region.

Mountainous areas have also seen their average temperatures rise --- making them hot spots for even more climate related disaster.

Bhutan's Agriculture Minister Pema Gyamtsho says that failure to stem the economic and environmental damage to mountain regions will have a spillover effect on other areas.

SOUNDBITE: Bhutan's Agriculture Minister Pema Gyamtsho

"It has not been recognized that the kind of goods and services that mountain ecosystems deploy, actually benefits the people beyond the mountain regions themselves."

The conference ended with all 30 nations adopting a "Katmandu Call for Action" which promotes the use of green strategies and methods for sustainable development.

Deborah Gembara, Reuters